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FALL ESCAPE TO ITALY TOUR

Rates & Dates    •    Tour Overview    •    Includes    •    Itinerary    •    Information Request    •    Reservation Form

CLICK HERE FOR RATES & DATES » Limited to 14 people Touring: Florence, Pisa, Volterra, San Gimignano, Siena, Cortona, Pienza, and Montepulciano Tour Overview: This fabulous upscale women's tour of Italy is the perfect fall getaway. You’ll experience ancient hilltop villages, picturesque vineyards and medieval walled cities; see Etruscan and Roman ruins, famous art and architecture, and colorful markets and stately churches. This interactive tour will be as educational as it is entertaining and relaxing, with wine-tasting and appreciation tours, a cooking class at a farm, and guided museum stops built into the itinerary. Our tour of Tuscany will end in Florence, a city not to be missed.  Amazing history, architecture and art await you.  Arrival & Departure Airport: Florence VIEW Rates & Dates »

Tour Includes: Eight days’ land tour Beautiful, elegant accommodations at centrally located four-star hotels Breakfast daily Four dinners with wine Evening cocktails Professionally guided tours of Volterra, Cortona, and Florence Cooking class Guided tour of the Accademia Museum Services of your tour manager Transportation to all planned activities Entrance and reservation fees to all museums and sites included in our formal tours Baggage handling Not included: Gratuities to your tour manager; airline tickets; airport transfer in Florence on last day (We will arrange for this as needed.)

INFORMATION REQUEST FORM ›        •        RESERVATION FORM ›

ITINERARY
Note:  Activities or order of activities are subject to change due to unforeseen closures, etc.  We reserve the right to replace an activity.
(B = Breakfast, L = Lunch,  D = Dinner)

DAY 1:
Arrival in Florence, Transfer to Volterra, Welcome Cocktails and Dinner, Overnight in Volterra
Please plan to arrive in the morning.  Consult with us for your flight arrangement. A private transfer will take our tour group to our hotel in Volterra, a charming, walled city surrounded by Etruscan antiquities.  As we make our way to Volterra from Florence, we’ll travel the peaceful countryside and magnificent rolling hills, stopping in Pisa to see the famous Leaning Tower. 

Volterra, famous for alabaster, has an interesting alabaster museum and many shops where you can pick up some souvenirs made out of this mineral of the ancients. Our hotel is right inside the city walls, placing us right in the center of town. Check in at the hotel and relax a bit before meeting at 6pm to mingle over cocktails and get to know each other over a welcome dinner. (D)

DAY 2:
Guided Tour of Volterra, Alabaster Museum, Overnight in Volterra
At 10am, our guide will lead a three-hour walking tour of Volterra, a delightful Etruscan town enclosed by intact 12th-century walls, with remnants of its defensive walls and Porta All'Arco gate dating back to 7th century BC.  The tour will cover Volterra’s major sites including a first century BC Roman theater and a visit to the alabaster museum.  

You will have free time to explore this jewel of a town and its narrow cobbled streets and plazas on your own after the tour.  Be sure to drop into an alabaster shop to see an artisan at work.   

Lunch on your own, though we will have suggestions on where you may have lunch.  Let us know if you want company.  The group will have dinner together tonight.    (B, D)

DAY 3:
San Gimignano, Siena, Evening Cocktail, Overnight in Cortona  
This morning, we will make our way to the walled Tuscan city of San Gimignano, known for its great white wine called Vernaccia and for Zafferano (saffron).  You’ll glimpse the famous towers of San Gimignano from a distance.  (The town originally had 72 towers; only 15 are left today.) We’ll stroll the city and stop in the main squares, Piazza della Cisterna and Piazza del Duomo.  You’ll have free time to visit the church called La Collegiata, as well as the civic museum.  You may also climb the big tower, see the fortress and the unusual torture museum, or enjoy the great shopping on the San Giovanni and San Matteo streets.  
From here, we'll proceed to Siena, where you will have a short orientation tour to get you acquainted with the city and comfortable exploring it on your own.  Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, historic Siena is car-free. Siena is also famous for its twice yearly bareback horse race called Palio, in which all the neighborhoods passionately compete.  You will see evidence of this special event when you roam the city.

Il Campo, the enormous town square, is lined with cafes, restaurants and shops; we’ll leave you with a list of sites to visit, a map, and restaurant suggestions. 

After our time in Siena, we will proceed to Cortona, where we will be based for the next three nights. Cocktails at the hotel this evening.  Dinner on your own but as always your tour manager is available for company. (B)

DAY 4:
Walking tour of Cortona, Cooking Class, Evening Cocktail, Overnight in Cortona
This morning you will have a guided tour of Cortona, a delightful town complete with an old fortress situated high above it. You're free after the tour until late this afternoon, so enjoy lunch on your own or meet up with your tour manager if you want company.   

In the evening, we will have a cooking demonstration at a farm, then we'll feast on our culinary experiments for dinner. Meet everyone at the hotel for cocktails this evening.  (B, D)

DAY 5:
Montepulciano, Wine Tasting, Evening Cocktail,
Overnight in Cortona
This morning, we'll head to the vineyards of Montepulciano. The much appreciated wines produced here, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Rosso di Montepulciano, are enough to draw us to this wonderful town, but the charming walled hill town and its narrow, steep and cobbled streets are also quite fun to explore.  Sixteenth-century palaces and churches line the streets, including the Tempio di San Biagio. This creamy white travertine church dating from the Renaissance is one of the most beautiful and graceful churches in Tuscany.

We'll stop at an old wine shop whose ancient staircase leads into the hillside, where we’ll taste some local wine.  Free time on your own afterward before we return to Cortona in the late afternoon.
Cocktails at the hotel this evening.  Dinner is on your own tonight.  (B)

DAY 6:
Tour of Florence, Overnight in Florence
We'll leave the hotel early this morning for a full day in Florence, checking into our hotel and immediately heading out to tour the city.  This tour will take you into the Accademia to see Michelangelo’s Statue of David.Those of you who are returning to Florence may skip this tour; we'll have some suggestions for alternative activities.  Free time after the tour to explore the open markets, see Boboli Gardens or visit the Bargello museum. Our “Last Supper” is planned for tonight. (B, D)

DAY 7:
Depart for home
Today is your last day in Florence.  Have breakfast at the hotel and prepare for your departure for home.  We can arrange for a private transfer to take you to the airport, if you are interested. (B)

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